Eng32 Posted October 8, 2012 Share Posted October 8, 2012 Hi all, we have recently (4 months) moved to Oz, Central Queensland and would love to try our hand at camping :biggrin:. We have just purchased our first 4x4 to get all the gear into! and now just need to fill it will stuff!! Any tips on essential equipment we might need, best type of tent, how to keep creepy crawlies out , and just about any advice you can throw at me would be greatly appreciated :wubclub: please. Thanks :smile: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackboots Posted October 8, 2012 Share Posted October 8, 2012 We just bought our first gear for camping .. we are in WA . Anyway we had a tent with Tub flooring and flyscreens ive been told sray mortein around the base once its up ?! we likek kangeroo tent city for equiptment they are all over east and really reasonable .. well anywhere is over there compared to WA ... give them a google Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackboots Posted October 8, 2012 Share Posted October 8, 2012 http://camping.about.com/od/tentfaq/f/tubfloors.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eng32 Posted October 8, 2012 Author Share Posted October 8, 2012 Thanks Jackboots thats a great link, already stuff on it I didn't know and i hadn't heard of the Kangaroo tent shop so will have fun browsing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob1 Posted October 8, 2012 Share Posted October 8, 2012 Make up a list of all the things you need to take as there is always something you forget. Keep all you camping dishes etc in a plastic box in the garage so it's a case of just chucking it in - makes sure as well as plates/cutlery etc it has things like bottle opener/tin opener/ washing up liquid/t towels/scouring pads/rope and pegs for hanging towels up etc. I always take an old ice cream container to use in the middle of the night instead of having to walk across to the toilets! Put kitchen towel/tissues/ toilet paper on your list! Take dustpan and brush as the tent always needs sweeping. Make sure your esky has a hole in the side to drain out melted ice. By a metal cooker stand as it saves your back and you can wash up on it too. You can buy these metal toast makers quite cheaply and they're good - you can have beans on toast. Make a couple of meals before you go and freeze them so you just have to heat them up - things like curry/spag bol. Camp beds are more comfortable than sleeping on a mat on the floor and worth buying. Have insect repellent/bite cream and chuck in some hat nets if you camp where the flies are bad. Head torch is really useful in case you have to put the tent up in the dark and need hands free - can also read in bed with it! and a mallet for putting pegs in- ground is hard here. Look on gumtree for stuff, you may even find a tent on there. Charity shops are good for things like cutlery/ picnic plates etc and even sleeping bags. Bunnings for folding chairs - less then $10 each. If you have young kids try and take their bikes - they spend lots of time on them cycling safely round a campsite making friends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest littlesarah Posted October 8, 2012 Share Posted October 8, 2012 I agree wholeheartedly with Bob1 - my hubby is a great list-maker, and we have modified the list he came up with years ago (we have two versions: short trip & long trip) - it makes it a lot quicker to take off, and we know exactly what we need to take with us. Anaconda often have sales on camping gear, and even Aldi sometimes have picnic plates etc at reasonable prices. Any of the outdoor shops have sales a lot of the time - I picked up some cheap cutlery, complete with storage roll, from Rays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eng32 Posted October 8, 2012 Author Share Posted October 8, 2012 Thanks for the info so far keep it coming.... What size, type water container do i need? do you fill it before you go? There is 2 adults 1 small child and a dog. Also gas bottles, cooking equipment? do we buy a gas stove along with a gas bottle? We are very new at this:embarrassed: so you might have gathered! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest littlesarah Posted October 8, 2012 Share Posted October 8, 2012 There are lots of different types of gas stove: the single-burner type (butane cartridge or the ones with the small gas cartridge underneath); otherwise you can get 2-burner stoves (+/- grill) which you use with a gas bottle. The grills aren't always brill with those type - ours has one, and it works OK though we have to use some aluminium tube (square of course) to elevate the grill pan if we're doing toast. The single burners are cheap, but of course it does mean you can only use one pan at a time, though a lot of the time that's probably all you need. The size of your container depends on whether you're going somewhere where there is water readily available. There are two of us, and we mostly use a 5L container for drinking and cooking, and use campsite facilities (where they exist) for washing up. If you're going somewhere without drinking water, you'll need to get a much bigger container than that. If you're going to a site where there is drinking water, I'd just fill up when I get there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockDr Posted October 8, 2012 Share Posted October 8, 2012 Water container depends on where you are going. If you're going off the beaten track, where it could take many hours/days for you to be rescued if broken down, you'll need significantly more water than if you're going to a campsite not far off one of the main highways, with drinking tap water and shops available in a town 20min drive away. If it's the latter, fill all your water bottles and throw in a couple of 10L water cubes from the supermarket, if it's the former, you should have at least 10L per person as emergency backup, PLUS whatever water you expect to be using (in this case it's worth keeping the emergency stuff separate from the day to day supply). In terms of equipment, don't get too carried away. If you're going to be staying in one place it's not such a big issue, but making and breaking camp and packing the car when you've got a huge tent plus beds plus several tarpaulins, plus the table and chairs and kitchen sink can get tedious. Cooking equipment, again depends where you're going. If you're camping for a weekend outside of fire-ban season, you can just build a campfire and bake potatoes/heat pre-cooked sausages on sticks etc, so the only cooking equipment needed is to heat up water for coffee/tea in the morning, which obviously doesn't require as large a stove as if you were cooking a meal for ten. If there's only three of you then even if you are cooking meals, a single burner stove should be plenty, something like this: http://www.kellyscamping.com.au/p/991169/oztrail-anywhere-stove.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted October 8, 2012 Share Posted October 8, 2012 After doing a fair bit of off roading/camping firstly make sure your car is in sound condition before you go. With our diesel we do an oil change every 5000. Also make sure you have RACQ or whichever state you are in. It may also be worth getting the half price sat phone http://www.dbcde.gov.au/mobile_services/the_satellite_phone_subsidy_scheme Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eng32 Posted October 8, 2012 Author Share Posted October 8, 2012 After doing a fair bit of off roading/camping firstly make sure your car is in sound condition before you go. With our diesel we do an oil change every 5000. Also make sure you have RACQ or whichever state you are in. It may also be worth getting the half price sat phone http://www.dbcde.gov.au/mobile_services/the_satellite_phone_subsidy_scheme Thanks, i was wondering about a sat phone or CB radio thingy :)as was worried about being in the middle of nowhere without being able to call for help. We also have full RACQ as with children you can't risk it without. We have a 2 year old Mitsubishi Pajero and not gone off road in it yet as only had it a few weeks. Lol maybe i should start another thread about off road hints and tips lol as we have to actually get to these off road camp sites so much to think about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted October 8, 2012 Share Posted October 8, 2012 Thanks, i was wondering about a sat phone or CB radio thingy :)as was worried about being in the middle of nowhere without being able to call for help. We also have full RACQ as with children you can't risk it without. We have a 2 year old Mitsubishi Pajero and not gone off road in it yet as only had it a few weeks. Lol maybe i should start another thread about off road hints and tips lol as we have to actually get to these off road camp sites so much to think about. Ours is a Pajero but we bought an old one as I didn't want scratches on a new car pmsl. Good idea about another thread there are a few of us on here who go off on these outback trips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cal2 Posted October 8, 2012 Share Posted October 8, 2012 we've been talking about doing exactly the same thing, BUT as complete amateurs thought we'd try before we buy, not sure whether to tent or caravan, anyone know of good campsites, gold coast to sunshine coast (barrier reef area), that we could try caravans and tents thanks Cal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourcorners Posted October 8, 2012 Share Posted October 8, 2012 We go camping quite a lot in our Suzuki Jimny. Only a small 4x4 but it will go anywhere! So we have to be quite frugal when it comes to equipment. On the roof we carry the swag/tent, one 30l water jerry, one 20l fuel jerry, and two folding chairs. Inside we have sleeping bags (plus mats if we have the tent); esky containing food, crockery, utensils etc; dutch oven containing firelighters, matches, washing up gear; one 20l water jerry; clothes changes, jumpers (it gets cold in the desert!), toiletries, hand sanitiser; tool kit including basic tools, hand winch, tarpaulin, emergency food stash, first aid kit; head torch; spare engine oil; axe for firewood; camera; a bottle or two of wine; lantern; hats, spare shoes/boots; toilet roll; towel. In the front we have a CB radio, a GPS in which we put important way points in ahead of time - we keep this on the dash to record our path, road atlas (get a good one showing 4x4 tracks), leatherman, string, spare headtorch, batteries, binoculars, phone charger. If we're going to a campsite that we're not sure will have fire pits, we'll take a small gas stove too. But I love the dutch oven, gets pretty hot! Last time we were out at Cave Hill I made an awesome sausage casserole with dumplings in it. The above list should be ok for a weekend away. Any longer and we would take more water. Most trips we haven't used our camping chairs as there have been picnic tables to use. Next trip is to Niagara Dam in a few weeks so we may pack some yabbie nets too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockDr Posted October 8, 2012 Share Posted October 8, 2012 We go camping quite a lot in our Suzuki Jimny. Only a small 4x4 but it will go anywhere! So we have to be quite frugal when it comes to equipment. We used to regularly fit three adults, camping and rock-climbing equipment for a long weekend into our old jimny (without anything on the roof). That wasn't for remote camping though, so could cut back on a lot of things. Great little car Dutch oven is a great idea, might steal that one... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VERYSTORMY Posted October 8, 2012 Share Posted October 8, 2012 If you are going out remote, then you must have a sat phone. They can be rented. It also a good idea to have a radio in the car. You want a UHF. There are a fair few cars that can be travelling through tracks that can be hard to spot. But must of the sensible drivers and vehicles belonging to mining companies will have a radio and call up before they get to certain areas. It is also worth setting up a scheduled call system with someone at home where you agree to call every day to let them you all is fine. I also use a SPOT device which is a EPIRB. Make sure the vehicle is sound and give all the essential a good once over. Carry more water than you think you might need, particularly if you are heading into the desert. In the event of a breakdown or something, NEVER NEVER. leave the vehicle and dont go off road unless you are comfortable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourcorners Posted October 8, 2012 Share Posted October 8, 2012 We used to regularly fit three adults, camping and rock-climbing equipment for a long weekend into our old jimny (without anything on the roof). That wasn't for remote camping though, so could cut back on a lot of things. Great little car Dutch oven is a great idea, might steal that one... Yes we've taken full rock climbing gear in it too down to Peak Charles. Absolute middle of nowhere! We remove the back seats and have made a shelf platform which gives us a good load space. We even covered it in automotive carpet! With that we've gone out with the chainsaw and can fit quite a lot of logs in it. We've pulled a motorbike trailer complete with a GSXR750 on it back from Perth with the Jimny and it only took half an hour longer than normal at 6.5 hours. Plus the trailer had some buys from Ikea on it.... Love the Jimny!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eng32 Posted October 8, 2012 Author Share Posted October 8, 2012 If you are going out remote, then you must have a sat phone. They can be rented. It also a good idea to have a radio in the car. You want a UHF. There are a fair few cars that can be travelling through tracks that can be hard to spot. But must of the sensible drivers and vehicles belonging to mining companies will have a radio and call up before they get to certain areas. It is also worth setting up a scheduled call system with someone at home where you agree to call every day to let them you all is fin I also use a SPOT device which is a EPIRB. Make sure the vehicle is sound and give all the essential a good once over. Carry more water than you think you might need, particularly if you are heading into the desert. In the event of a breakdown or something, NEVER NEVER. leave the vehicle and dont go off road unless you are comfortable. Thanks for the advice, will defo take note! its a bit different than travelling up the M25 :eek::laugh: although some might argue :biglaugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freckleface Posted October 8, 2012 Share Posted October 8, 2012 If you want to do some 4x4 and camping you should join a 4x4 club. They are a great way to learn in safety before you attempt anything on your own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eng32 Posted October 8, 2012 Author Share Posted October 8, 2012 Yes I was thinking of looking to see if there was one in our area. Was a little worried to go off road and not really know what we're doing. ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobj Posted October 8, 2012 Share Posted October 8, 2012 All our last trip was in the most remote areas of the NT and WA. Never took a phone as we are oldies and tech stuff is...er...:arghh: Been bush 'camping' on and off for over 45 years so it comes fairly easy to set up the forby. Yes, we take an igloo type 4 man tent but only used it one night in 5 trips. We bought a 59 litre water tank from BCF. It does NOT come with any plugs, or taps. I had to put a few cork stoppers in so as not to have spillage. For this tank, a 10 ft section of garden hose is essential to syphon the water out and it pays to have the little gizmo that you screw on to the garden tap and so affix the hose to fill the tanks. We also took a 25 litre water drum, ex Big W. The 59 litre tank is behind the driver's side, affixed by 2 occy straps in the pic. Remember, 59 litres of water plus the container weighs about 65 kg. So it is better to have it in a fixed place. An essential piece of equipment if 'bush bashing' type camping is the single burner stove and at least 2 packs of gas cartridges. Quite often one cannot light a wood fire due to winds and grass fires, so these beaut little stoves work well, indeed, we bought a second stove to compliment the first one. Chicken curry and rice is an easy meal on these stoves. A mossie net is better out in the desert than a tent, believe me. A good investment if camping on a fairly regular basis is the Oztrail self inflating king sized single mattress. Just a matter of undoing the 'screws' to roll it up and when you lay it out, rescrew it up again. Cheers, Bobj. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eng32 Posted October 8, 2012 Author Share Posted October 8, 2012 ? Bobj you are a total camping legend ? I could really do with you coming with us! Are u inflatable too!! ? What a great adventure you've had! If I can half half your fun whilst camping ill be happy. We bought one if those single burners the other week so we can make a cuppa whilst out and about lol Love the pic! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobj Posted October 8, 2012 Share Posted October 8, 2012 Bobj you are a total camping legend I could really do with you coming with us! Are u inflatable too!! What a great adventure you've had! If I can half half your fun whilst camping ill be happy. We bought one if those single burners the other week so we can make a cuppa whilst out and about lol Love the pic! Many thanks for that, had a fabulous life out in Australia and have no intentions of stopping now. Next year, the Keep River estuary, barra fishing...among the crocs. Cheers, Bobj. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish.01 Posted October 8, 2012 Share Posted October 8, 2012 we've been talking about doing exactly the same thing, BUT as complete amateurs thought we'd try before we buy, not sure whether to tent or caravan, anyone know of good campsites, gold coast to sunshine coast (barrier reef area), that we could try caravans and tentsthanks Cal The gold coast to sunshine coast is not in the barrier reef area, which is further north (if that's what you meant). Are you after beach camping spots or country or whatever ? Do you prefer camping in caravan parks or camp grounds ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobj Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 A few items to add; tarps, we always take 4. There are times when a tent is too hot to sit in and a 5m x 5m tarp will make an easy shade to save stressing out. Lotsa ropes for the tarps and lotsa 'occy straps', too. A neat trick if a gromit has gone, or ripped, a small marble sized stone wrapped in the edge of a tarp and tied, will 'hold' well Take a small axe and a small spade...:yes: Be aware of camping under big eucalyptus trees...they can shed dead branches any time! Cheers, Bobj. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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